There is plenty to keep you entertained, educated and civically engaged this week in Richmond, from a fundraiser for a youth girls’ organization to RYSE program sign-ups and walks for dog owners and bird lovers.
For more, see our summer events roundup, which includes activities through September, and our lists of where to go swimming and ongoing things to do in Richmond (many of which are free). You can also visit Richmondside.org on Fridays for a list of upcoming live music shows.
- There’s a lot cooking when it comes to RYSE Center’s fall programs
- The guys are whipping up dishes for Girls Club fundraiser
- ‘Chain letter’ artwork on display this weekend
- Calling all pack members: Community dog walk set for this weekend
- Protest against billionaires set for Labor Day
- Want to try to spot a yellow warbler, western Tanager or willow flycatcher?
- Contra Costa County residents invited to all read the same book
- Related stories
There’s a lot cooking when it comes to RYSE Center’s fall programs
A full program of fall activities is under way at the RYSE Center, including activities such as cooking classes, music and video production, poetry, job and resume support as well as gardening and dance courses.
The fall 2025 schedule started on Mon., Aug. 25 and lasts until Dec. 17.
The free programs are available to RYSE Center members from ages 13 to 21 on Mondays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 7 p.m.
The RYSE Center, located at 3939 Bissell Ave., has been operating since 2008. The nonprofit organization states that it is “a movement led by young people that ensures dignity for youth, their families, and their communities.”
“Programming at RYSE is anchored in the belief that young people have the lived knowledge and expertise to identify, prioritize, and direct the activities and services necessary to thrive,” the organization states.
The guys are whipping up dishes for Girls Club fundraiser
Some local chefs will be serving their signature dishes at a fundraiser to benefit the Bay Area Girls Club, a nonprofit that aims to empower girls.
“Men Who Cook” will feature more than a dozen volunteer chefs who will cook up their choice of an appetizer, entrée or side dish for attendees to sample.
Besides the food tasting, there will also be beer, wine, music and an auction.
At least 150 people are expected to attend the event, which is in its third year.
Tickets for the fundraiser start at $50 for an individual to $500 for a celebration table to $5,000 for a platinum star sponsorship.
Proceeds go to the Bay Area Girls Club, which is celebrating its 50th year. The organization’s mission is to “uplift girls ages 5-18 to be game changers for the future through programming that develops life skills, encourages curiosity and discourse, and fosters community.”
Men Who Cook, Sun., Aug. 31, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Galileo Club, 371 S. 23rd St.
‘Chain letter’ artwork on display this weekend
Works of art done in a “chain letter” fashion will be displayed this weekend in Point Richmond.
The “Art Tag Presentation!” will feature works by local artists who have all created something under a common theme: “In My Backyard.”
This tag team art project is organized by the Arts of Point Richmond. The concept begins with a group of artists picking a theme. The artists then create a work in any medium using that theme. They then pass their creation to another artist, who uses the piece as inspiration for their own work and passes it on again.
The project takes about six weeks to complete. The finished works are then displayed.
“Art Tag Presentation!” Sun., Aug. 31, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Hidden City Ballroom, 304 Washington Ave.
Calling all pack members: Community dog walk set for this weekend
You can walk your dog along with other animal enthusiasts this weekend.
The Community Pack Walk is sponsored by California Pit Bull Rescue and is free to all who want to walk.
The walks are held on the final Sunday of every month in Oakland, Berkeley and western Contra Costa County. The August walk is in Point Richmond.
Dogs up for adoption will also be at this weekend’s event.
“Use these walks to socialize your dogs, ask questions, get your steps in, or even scope out a new friend for your existing pup,” the organizers said.
Community Pack Walk, Sun., Aug. 31, 10 a.m. to noon, Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, 900 Dornan Drive.
Protest against billionaires set for Labor Day
A political action group is asking west Contra Costa County residents to gather in El Sobrante on Labor Day to support working people’s rights.
Workers Over Billionaires has been organized by Indivisible West CoCo County.
The demonstration will focus its protest on “fighting for public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, shared prosperity over corporate politics,” event organizers said.
“Working people built this nation and we know how to take care of each other. We won’t back down — we will never stop fighting for our families and the rights and freedoms that ensure access to opportunity and a better life for all Americans. The billionaire’s time is up,” the organizers added.
Workers Over Billionaires protest, Mon., Sept. 1, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., San Pablo Dam Road and Appian Way, El Sobrante
Want to try to spot a yellow warbler, western Tanager or willow flycatcher?
Some feathered visitors are expected to make a migratory appearance along the Richmond shoreline next week.
The Golden Gate Bird Alliance has organized a walk for bird enthusiasts to spot species on fall migrations. Among the potential birds you could spot will be the yellow warbler, western Tanager and willow flycatcher as well as the Baltimore oriole and the great-crested flycatcher.
The walk is limited to 15 participants, and you must register by 11 p.m. on Mon., Sept. 1.
Golden Gate Bird Alliance walk, Thur., Sept. 4, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Booker T. Anderson Jr. Park parking lot off South 47th Street between Carlson Boulevard and Cypress Avenue.
Contra Costa County residents invited to all read the same book
You can join a massive countywide “book club” that will be reading “James,” the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by author Percival Everett that retells author Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Jim, an enslaved man who runs away after discovering he is going to be sold and separated from his family.
The novel has been selected as the featured book of the 2025 Read Contra Costa program, a project that encourages all county residents and library users to share in the experience of reading and discussing the same book.
The Contra Costa County library system is partnering with Los Medanos College and the Richmond Public Library for this program.
The program begins on Tue., Sept. 2, and runs through Sat., Nov. 8. Special events for the book reading will be announced beginning Sept. 2.
“The power of a community read is in its ability to bring people together through a shared narrative, and ‘James’ by Percival Everett is the perfect book to spark that connection,” said county Librarian Alison McKee. “This novel can serve as a catalyst for important dialogue. We believe its themes will resonate with readers across our county, and we look forward to the rich and meaningful discussions that will follow.”
